


All That Matters

by CamsthiSky



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 19:18:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8413507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CamsthiSky/pseuds/CamsthiSky
Summary: Keith talks Lance down from a panic attack.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting on tumblr for two weeks. Oh my gosh I'm so sorry. I totally forgot to post this on ff.net and ao3. Whoops.

“Breathe, Lance.”

Keith didn’t know how to do this. There was a reason he wasn’t anybody’s first choice of bedside nurse. He just didn’t get how to fix this kind of stuff. Especially in the middle of the hallway, when nobody else was around.

Looking back, he didn’t really know what had happened. One minute everything was fine, the next--it wasn’t. There didn’t seem to be any trigger. Nothing that Keith had caught onto, anyway. Lance was obnoxious one moment and he’d slid to the floor, holding his chest before Keith even had time to blink.

None of this made sense.

“Lance,” Keith pleaded. “Please. You have to look at me. You’re- shit. You’re okay, Lance. Nothing’s going to hurt you.”

Keith was painfully aware that he didn’t sound the least bit reassuring, but Lance was barely listening anyways, too busy struggling with his own body to pay attention to Keith’s wimpy attempts of making things better. And honestly? Keith couldn’t find it in himself to blame Lance. He was so under qualified for this that it hurt to pretend he wasn’t.

But he couldn’t  _ not _ try.

“Hey-”

“Just...shut up already,” Lance huffed. He was shaking, his pupils were blown wide, and he still couldn’t seem to catch his breath.It was terrifying from the outside, and Keith couldn’t even imagine how terrifying it must be from the inside. How Lance could even focus enough to speak was beyond Keith, but he was glad for it anyways. “I  _ am _ looking at you, you...stupid mullet face.”

That brought a surprised snort out of Keith. He didn’t think it could actually happen, but Lance’s insults were actually getting  _ dumber _ .

Not that he would tell him that right now. Bigger things to deal with, after all. Like keeping a lid on his own anxiety while he simultaneously dealt with Lance’s. That was pretty big on his to-do list, and insults could definitely wait for a better time.

Lance’s breathing hitched slightly as he struggled to pull in enough oxygen. Icy tendrils of panic were starting to grip Keith’s nerves despite his best efforts. Why couldn’t  _ anybody else _ be here? He didn’t know what he was  _ doing. _

Maybe...deal with Lance’s breathing first? Yeah. That seemed like the biggest issue here, and maybe if he could help Lance breathe easier, the rest wouldn’t be as tough to deal with

Taking Lance’s hand in his own, Keith guided it to his chest as he breathed slow and easy. “Lance? Just, uh, just try to do what I’m doing. See? Just like- yeah. Just like that. Nice and easy. You’re okay. Nothing, uh, nothing can hurt you. I’m here.”

Lance, amazingly, tried to mimic Keith’s breathing almost straight away. They both sat there as seconds turned into minutes, breathing as Keith kept up a constant stream of all the reassurances he could think of. And eventually, Lance’s struggle for air lessened until he was breathing almost normally. He was still shaking, though, so Keith kept Lance’s hand to his chest, clutching it tightly.

“Lance? Are you with me now?”

“Yeah,” Lance whispered. “Yeah, I’m here. I’m alright.”

_ Oh, thank God. _

Keith swallowed, his throat sore from talking so much. “That was-”

“A panic attack,” Lance finished, staring at him with dull eyes. There were shadows creeping underneath, and he looked really pale. It struck Keith that he had never seen the blue paladin more disheveled than at this moment. “I know. Thanks.”

“I’m not really sure I did too much,” Keith said honestly. “I didn’t exactly know what I was doing. Shiro or Hunk probably would have been able to help more.”

Lance gripped Keith’s hand tighter, like it was the only thing keeping him anchored, and shook his head. “You were here, Keith. And that’s all that really matters.”


End file.
